He blasted Arab states for denying Assad’s legitimacy, “practically
usurp(ing) the right of the Syrian people to decide who will govern
Syria and in what form. We strongly disagree with this approach.”

Syrians alone must decide who’ll lead them and how they’re to be
governed, free from outside interference.

Russia believes combating ISIS and other terrorists “should be
accompanied by the search for a political solution. To that end ­
continuing to fight against terrorist groups ­ we are enhancing our
efforts to stop bloodshed, provide humanitarian assistance to the
population, and intensify the political process as provided for in
the UNSC Resolution 2254,” Lavrov explained.

All parties in the conflict “must abandon their geopolitical
ambitions and fully contribute to reestablishing the stability and
security in Syria, the Middle East and Northern Africa as a whole,”
he added.

The objectives going forward include defeating terrorism,
reconstructing destroyed infrastructure, removing unilaterally
imposed sanctions on the country, along with pursuing political,
economic and social development.

Once conflict ends, it’ll take years to restore Syria to its pre-war
state. Enormous damage was done. The lives and welfare of millions
of Syrians were gravely harmed. Recovery will take time. The first
order of business is defeating terrorism and restoring peace.

Bilateral ties “remain hostage to the bickering in the American
establishment.” Fabricated accusations of Russian interference in
last year’s presidential campaign exacerbated things greatly.

Lavrov called the so-called US-led coalition in Syria “a
gatecrasher,” operating illegally without permission from Damascus.

“(T)errorists are divided into the ‘bad’ and the ‘not so bad’ ones.”
A terrorist is a terrorist. They’re all equally bad.

US-led forces in Syria “cause many” problems, on the wrong side of
the conflict, pretending to combat terrorism while actively
supporting it - my words, not Lavrov’s.

He fully understands the situation, criticizing the massacre of
civilians, several times attacking Syrian forces, and destroying
vital infrastructure.

“Our participation in the fight against ISIS is aimed at both
ensuring the national security of Russia and strengthening global
and regional security,” Lavrov explained.

Washington is part of the problem, encouraging terrorists to attack
government and allied forces, “stag(ing) fatal provocations against
our military personnel.” Moscow won’t leave this aggression
unanswered, Lavrov stressed.